Ladislav Klíma
Encyclopedia
Ladislav Klíma was a Czech philosopher and novelist influenced by George Berkeley
, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. His philosophy is referred to varyingly as existentialism
and subjective idealism
.
in western Bohemia
.
He came from a moderately wealthy family. After expulsion from the school system in 1895 for allegedly insulting the State, the Church, and — out of what he described as “historical analphabetism” — the Habsburgs, he lived alternately in Tyrol
, Zurich
, and Prague
. As part of his philosophy he only ever took on short term work. For a time he also lived off the occasional royalties from his publications and the periodic generosity of his friends. While only part of Klíma’s work was published before his death, many manuscripts were edited posthumously, among which were his stories and letters. Many manuscripts he destroyed himself. Klíma spent the later part of his life living in a hotel, shining shoes for a living, drinking spirits and eating vermin. Klíma died of tuberculosis
and is buried in Prague.
Much of Klima’s philosophy is expressed in "World as Consciousness and Nothing" ("Svět jako vědomí a nic", 1904). He took ideas from his philosophical predecessors to the extreme and tried to incorporate them into his practical life. For Berkeley
, each object exists only because it is perceived, to be is to be perceived. Klima takes this a stage further and suggests that the individual creates the world with his own will.
Where the highest achievement for Schopenhauer is the man who denied his will, Klíma conversely suggests that the realization of one’s own will is the primary achievement. This brings Klíma close to Nietzsche with his will to power liberating itself from the bounds of the bourgeois world and affirming itself.
Klíma's individuality lies not only in his conception of philosophy
, but also in his attempt to conform to it in his personal life.
His autobiographical writings illustrate his attempts to grasp his own power and to shout his "Deus sum" ("I am God"). He tested his own deity in a life without any money, and in non-conformism that rejected all conventions, including a job. All this was to lead Klíma to control of self. However, Klíma also had friends and patrons who supported him in difficulties.
The Sufferings of Prince Sternenhoch (Prague 1928) is his most famous novel. In a series of journal entries, the book chronicles the descent into madness
of Prince Sternenhoch, who moves from the life of a nobleman to a life filled with suffering, eccentricity, bouts of madness and self-torment. Having sunk to the lowest level, he eventually attains an ultimate state of bliss and salvation.
George Berkeley
George Berkeley , also known as Bishop Berkeley , was an Irish philosopher whose primary achievement was the advancement of a theory he called "immaterialism"...
, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. His philosophy is referred to varyingly as existentialism
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
and subjective idealism
Subjective idealism
Subjective idealism, or empirical idealism, is the monistic metaphysical doctrine that only minds and mental contents exist. It entails and is generally identified or associated with immaterialism, the doctrine that physical things do not exist...
.
Life
Ladislav Klíma was born in town of DomažliceDomažlice
Domažlice is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic.Domažlice is also a Municipality with Extended Competence and a Municipality with Commissioned Local Authority within the same borders.-History:...
in western Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
.
He came from a moderately wealthy family. After expulsion from the school system in 1895 for allegedly insulting the State, the Church, and — out of what he described as “historical analphabetism” — the Habsburgs, he lived alternately in Tyrol
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
, Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, and Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. As part of his philosophy he only ever took on short term work. For a time he also lived off the occasional royalties from his publications and the periodic generosity of his friends. While only part of Klíma’s work was published before his death, many manuscripts were edited posthumously, among which were his stories and letters. Many manuscripts he destroyed himself. Klíma spent the later part of his life living in a hotel, shining shoes for a living, drinking spirits and eating vermin. Klíma died of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and is buried in Prague.
Work
Klíma rejected the norms of contemporary Czech society in both the way he lived and in what he wrote. Culture, moral values and the world itself are all rejected and reality is subjected to the will of the individual.Much of Klima’s philosophy is expressed in "World as Consciousness and Nothing" ("Svět jako vědomí a nic", 1904). He took ideas from his philosophical predecessors to the extreme and tried to incorporate them into his practical life. For Berkeley
George Berkeley
George Berkeley , also known as Bishop Berkeley , was an Irish philosopher whose primary achievement was the advancement of a theory he called "immaterialism"...
, each object exists only because it is perceived, to be is to be perceived. Klima takes this a stage further and suggests that the individual creates the world with his own will.
Where the highest achievement for Schopenhauer is the man who denied his will, Klíma conversely suggests that the realization of one’s own will is the primary achievement. This brings Klíma close to Nietzsche with his will to power liberating itself from the bounds of the bourgeois world and affirming itself.
Klíma's individuality lies not only in his conception of philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, but also in his attempt to conform to it in his personal life.
His autobiographical writings illustrate his attempts to grasp his own power and to shout his "Deus sum" ("I am God"). He tested his own deity in a life without any money, and in non-conformism that rejected all conventions, including a job. All this was to lead Klíma to control of self. However, Klíma also had friends and patrons who supported him in difficulties.
The Sufferings of Prince Sternenhoch (Prague 1928) is his most famous novel. In a series of journal entries, the book chronicles the descent into madness
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
of Prince Sternenhoch, who moves from the life of a nobleman to a life filled with suffering, eccentricity, bouts of madness and self-torment. Having sunk to the lowest level, he eventually attains an ultimate state of bliss and salvation.
Writings
- Svět jako vědomí a nic, Prague 1904 (The World as Consciousness and Nothing)
- Traktáty a diktáty, Prague 1922 (Tractates and Dictates)
- Matěj Poctivý, Prague 1922 (Matthew the Honest) - a drama (written together with Arnošt Dvořák)
- Vteřina a věčnost, Prague 1927 (A Second and Eternity)
- Utrpení knížete Sternenhocha, Prague 1928, 2004 (The Sufferings of Prince Sternenhoch)
- Slavná Nemesis, Prague 1932, 2002 (Glorious Nemesis) - a novella and a collection of stories
- Vlastní životopis filosofa L.K., Prague 1937 (The Autobiography of the Philosopher L.K.)
- Lidská tragikomedie, first published 1991 (The Human Tragicomedy) – philosophical drama
- Sebrané spisy IV. - Velký roman; Torst, Prague 1996 (The Collected Works IV. - The Great Novel)
- Putování slepého hada za pravdou; Volvox Globator, Prague 2003 (The Pilgrimage of a Blind Snake to the Truth) - written originally in German together with Franz Böhler
- Sebrané spisy I. - Mea; Torst, Prague 2005 (The Collected Works I. - Mea)
- Sebrané spisy II. - Hominibus; Torst, Prague 2006 (The Collected Works II. - Hominibus)